COLUMBUS — It’s a pretty incredible number.
Five of the teams on Ohio State’s football schedule either have different coaches than they had at the beginning of practice this season or are searching for their next coach.
Illinois coach Tim Beckman was fired before the opener. Maryland coach Randy Edsall was shown the door the week after a loss to the Buckeyes in early October.
On Sunday, Hawaii fired its coach Norm Chow, who had been somewhat of a legend as USC’s offensive coordinator.
Last week, Minnesota coach Jerry Kill resigned for health reasons when epilepsy related seizures that he had battled for years returned. And long-time Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer announced he will retire at the end of this season.
It could have been six if Rutgers had decided to fire its coach Kyle Flood instead of just suspending him for putting excessive pressure on professors to give his players good grades in their classes.
Overall, six coaches have been fired and four others have resigned or retired.
In the past, firing coaches in mid-season probably was more common at the professional level than at the college level.
But the line has been crossed now. More money and more attention brings more pressure to win immediately. Patience is a thing of the past.
If Jim Harbaugh comes in and turns around Michigan right away, other schools think they can find someone to do the same thing for them.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who was a mid-season replacement for Tommy Bowden in 2008, says that impatience is multiplied by the internet.
“It’s not like it used to be where you evaluated the totality of the season. Social media gets people hired, fired and retired quick. Just like that, it’s just an overwhelming swell of emotion,” Swinney said.
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